Visitors' comments

Description

This view looks north-west from the river towards the city, specifically towards De la Commune Street (previously called Water Street). The simplistic delineation of the buildings, the flatness of the space and the abrupt cutting-off of the image at the sides offer clear evidence that the work was executed with the help of a camera lucida. That the artist, who remains anonymous, was not a very accomplished painter is clear from the rather crude manner in which the canoe and its paddlers have been depicted. Without the camera lucida, he would doubtless not have been able to reproduce such a carefully outlined and detailed view of the city. The canoe, moreover, is being paddled in a most peculiar way : unless the paddlers took turns, their vessel would have gone around in circles! (Excerpt from: GRAHAM, Conrad. Mont-Royal - Ville Marie : Early Plans and Views of Montreal, McCord Museum of Canadian History, p.100.)